Opposite Reaction
by darkbluemoon13
Summary: Everyone expected Ariadne to race back to the dream world, hungry for more.  But what if she reacts to the whole situation differently?  Will she lose her sanity even if she's not in Limbo?  Who can save the present/former architect from herself?
1. Chapter 1

Most would have thought that I would have immediately gone back. Immediately gone back to the dream world. But they were wrong. I was terrified, _terrified,_ of going back, of ever dreaming again. In the beginning, it might have been different. Before I went into Limbo, I probably would have immediately gone back without a second thought. Nothing could replace the absolute pure creativity and endless possibilities of the dream world. All of the buildings I couldn't create in reality could be imagined in the dream world with no limitations. There are no "No that's impossible", no "It defies all the rules of Earth and gravity and physics, it can't happen." In the dream world, your mind is free. Who could pass that up? Well, I could, and will always pass that offer up.

Just the thought of Limbo and dreaming and what had happened chilled me to the bone. Even though Cobb and Saito woke up and were fine, being in Limbo changed me, scared me. Immediately after I arrived at my hotel in Los Angeles, I threw up. Extreme sickness took over for days. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, I didn't dream.

Most would have thought that my college grades would have dropped, that I would have lost my focus, drifting off into daydreams. But, again, they were wrong. Actually, I excelled in my studies. I got all of my projects in early; I passed my mid-terms with flying colors and I was model student. Though as well as I was doing, Miles sometimes sent worried glances my way whenever I turned in yet another perfect paper or impeccable sketch.

When the dreams did start again, I forced myself awake. I would always pinch myself, just to make sure I was awake and to keep myself from dreaming again. Though I never, _never, _used my totem. How could I? How could I trust it? How could I let something as so small as a tip of a bishop distinguish a dream from reality? So I left my bishop deep in the recesses of my bedside drawer, never to be used again.

The dreams usually consisted of what happened during the Inception job. Flashes of Mal coming at me with a sharp knife, projections staring menacingly at me, images of Limbo frequently crept their way into my dreams, or should I say nightmares.

"Never be afraid to dream bigger, darling," Eames had once said, but I was afraid. I was afraid to dream and I couldn't help it. I wanted to be unafraid of dreaming. How could I be afraid of my own mind, of my own subconscious? I couldn't help it; I didn't want to end up back in Limbo.

I still haven't been contacted by any of the team, nor have I tried to contact them. It's been almost a year, but I had no desire to see any of them. Even the sound of their voices would bring back memories and dreams of moments I did not want to relive. Now, don't get me wrong, I wanted Cobb to be happy with his children and I wanted the others to be doing well, but to hear from them would rip my world apart and maybe even make me lose my sanity, which was already starting to fray at the edges. Could dreaming really make you go insane? I don't know, it depends on how sane you are to begin with.

I do admit, I am a very curious and down to earth girl, but since the dream world and Limbo has plagued my thoughts like a highly infectious disease, I spend most of my time trying not to dream or trying not to think about dreaming in any way, shape or form. The rest of the time I spend trying to go about my daily routine, trying to forget about everything that happened, and trying make things go back to the way they were. But what use is it? As I have said before, the dream world has plagued my thoughts!

Even now as I sit upon my leather coach in my expensive flat that I purchased with my share of the Inception money, I dream of not dreaming. I dream of a day when dreams will leave me at peace in reality and in this world. I rubbed my temples where I felt a painful migraine coming on. All these thoughts of dreaming were giving me a headache! Exhaustion was also creeping up on me. Sleep, sleep with no dreaming would do me good. Maybe it would put me at peace for a few days. Maybe it would give me time to relax and let the dust settle…

The sharp, blaring sound of my phone went off suddenly, making me flinch in surprise. I slowly picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Ariadne, we need to talk."

**AN: This is my first attempt at an angsty fic. Though I don't know if it really is! I still don't know if this is going to be an Eames/Ariadne fic or an Arthur/Ariadne fic, though feel free to request one or another. I still don't know what the actual plot is going to be, I just had to write this chapter! So this might become something, but, again, I have no clue. I hope you enjoyed it and review please! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ariadne, we _need _to talk," pleaded the man with the familiar English accent. I even heard a faint hint of desperation, but it was there nonetheless.

"No," I hatefully spat before I abruptly ended the call and tossed the phone on my plush bed where it landed with a soft thud.

I rubbed my temples soothingly, willing the oncoming migraine to go away, but I knew my efforts were futile. I got up and slouched my way to the outside balcony that overlooked the twinkling city of Paris. I could even see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance. Once I stepped outside, the cool, crisp night air encased my body like a blanket. The sky was a deep midnight blue with a speckling of stars across the vast sky. Even the city lights flickered like stars…this would make a wondrous painting.

I sat back into an oak deck chair and let the cool air wash over me. Surprisingly, my oncoming migraine was subsiding. I had no clue how long I sat on my balcony, but I decided to go back inside to finish some school work. After I drifted back into the warm apartment, I sat down into a plush, burgundy armchair and crossed my legs. I worked on my college work for about an hour an a half before I heard three definitive knocks at my front door.

Curios, I uncrossed my legs only to find one of my feet had gone to sleep and the painful pin pricks began. I hurriedly half-limped, half-stumbled to the front door. I quickly undid the lock and opened the door lazily only to find a familiar forger leaning up against the door frame with the pure picture of worry etched into his features. I gasped in horror and slammed the door hard but he stuck his foot in to jam the door. I stumbled back as he tentatively came inside and shut the door quietly, as if he were trying not to spook an already spooked animal.

My breathing quickened and my heart sped up to a rapid pace as he stepped forward and said softly and soothingly, "Ariadne, you need to listen to me. We didn't expect for you to act this way. Though I did notice something very off about you when you left the airport after~"

"DON'T EVEN SAY IT!" I screamed at him, cutting him off abruptly in mid sentence.

"Ariadne, please, _please_ calm down. Please, just listen to me. You need my help," he said coaxingly, as if I were some terrified child hiding under their bed.

"I don't _need _your help, nor do I want it. All you and the others have down is plagued my dreams! I can never be at peace because of what you all brought me into!" I spat at him with so much venom in my voice it could kill a cow.

"Ariadne," he reached for me slowly and I recoiled from his touch as if it had burned me. I stumbled quickly over to the balcony door and flung it open desperately. I rushed over to the edge of the black metal railing and pressed hard up against it. He rushed out after me but stopped short after assessing the situation.

"Come any closer and I'll fall back," I hissed.

"Ariadne, that's a five story fall. I don't think you really want to die tonight and I certainly don't want you too either. So please, step away from the railing," he whispered, panic-stricken, which made his voice waver at the end.

I looked behind me at the five story drop and the sight of it made my stomach clench. He took advantage while I wasn't looking and sprinted towards me and tackled me to the deck. The wind got knocked out of me and I struggled to get up but he pinned me down. I started to scratch, kick, do whatever it took to get away, but he was much stronger than I was. Gingerly but firmly he wrapped his arms around my torso and pinned my arms to my sides. He then hauled me up and carried me inside while I flailed my legs about and let out a colorful stream of obscenities.

He plopped me down upon the same burgundy armchair from which I sat earlier and loomed over me with his hands holding tightly onto the arms of the chair, blocking my escape.

"Just tell me what happened. I won't judge, I won't input any opinions, I swear on Queen Elizabeth herself and my mum. Just tell me what happened to you from the beginning, all of it," he pleaded; his brown eyes were almost…wild or desperate. Desperate to help me.

I contemplated his offer for quite some time. He patiently waited. He carefully sat down on the white leather sofa across from my chair when I curtly nodded.

"Okay, but I still don't trust you," I whispered reluctantly, it was almost inaudible, but he heard it.

Then I plunged into the story and told it from the very beginning…

**AN: So if you couldn't tell already, I have decided to make this an Eames/Ari fic. Why? Because I think this pairing needs more stories and I think they could be good friends/partners/whatever you want to call it. But don't get me wrong, I love a good Arthur/Ari fic, though they do have a lot of stories in their category and I don't think I could really write a good enough Arthur/Ari fic. Anyway, things will get a little deeper and Arthur will make an appearance! Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

_A complete sea of blackness surrounded me. I couldn't even see anything at all except for the pulsating blackness. There was no sound. I couldn't even hear myself breathe, nor could I hear my own heartbeat. All I felt was a floating sensation; there was no temperature, no hot or cold, just neutral. No trace of smell graced my nostrils. There was nothing. Just my own haunting thoughts to comfort me._

_A flicker. Where? At what distance away? I could not tell. Just a flicker, like a spark of a match lighting a candle. Then it came closer. Slowly, it eased its way towards me. Then, a face emerged. It was Cobb. It was Cobb holding a candle with the look of desperation, of sadness, of defeat sketched into his weathered face. Then she emerged with the look of pure glee, of mocking, of triumph, with a laugh tickling the corners of her wickedly graceful lips. Oh how she laughed at the sight of me! I tried to yell out to Cobb, but no sound emerged from my gaping mouth._

_Then Cobb's full body materialized next to Mal's slim one. With one last look of regret and sorrow, Cobb slowly turned to ash and blew swiftly away into the blackness with a wind I could not feel. Mal turned slowly toward me and the first sound to break the immense silence was her cackling laughter that bounced her gently flowing curls. With a sharp, quick clap of her hand, the scene dissolved._

_Now we were in a busy workplace with a grand lobby. I was in some jeans and a dark purple t-shirt. I looked around for Mal, but she was nowhere to be seen. I saw a set of twisting staircases. Why not go up? I slowly ascended the stairs, listening to the bustle of the workplace and the soft thud of my shoes. I passed a window with the same white flower décor twice now. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Not a paradox. I quickened my pace up the stairs, almost sprinting to the top. Suddenly, the stairs ended and I stopped short of falling off the edge to the white marble floors below. Slowly, I backed up and turned only to find Mal standing there with a mocking grin on her face. She took a definite step forward and lightly placed her hand on my shoulder._

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a silly girl. You should know the difference. Or maybe you're in too deep…Oh well." Mal said with teasing in her voice._

_She then pushed me off the end of the paradox. Somehow a rope appeared and I grabbed tightly hold of it, sliding down to the lobby below with rope burns quickly forming. I landed on the white marble floor with a loud thud and stumbled forward, trying to regain my balance. I glanced up to find Mal chuckling again. I started to run, but I heard the sharp sound of her single clap pierce through the bustle of the lobby and the scene changed once more._

_I was now in an abandoned city. The once magnificent skyscrapers that once towered high above the city were now a crumbling shell of their former glory. Mal was about ten feet away from me, circling me slowly like I was her prey. Her eyes had a fiery look in them as though she were about to pounce, ready to go for the kill. She threw her head back as she laughed manically before she flexed her fingers and then fell upon me. In a split second she had my arms behind my back and tied with rope that mysteriously appeared. She threw me down onto the ground onto what seemed like train tracks. My breathing drew heavy as she knelt down beside of me and whispered with a sickly sweetness as if she were talking to a toddler, "Now you'll know how it feels." _

_She gracefully got up and stepped back as a green train drew out it's long, shrieking whistle as it steamed forward towards me. I was defenseless, useless, and helpless. I cried out in fear as a single tear escaped my eye. It was coming fast, too fast. The steady beat of it's wheels echoed through empty city, a haunting sound that stirred up pure fear inside of me. My stomach churned and flipped, catching in my throat. The last thing I heard before it hit was her faint whisper, "No one can help you now."_

I screamed out as I bolted upright in bed. I was drenched in a cold sweat and my heart was going a million miles an hour. My clock read three in the morning, but I didn't care. I screamed bloody murder. I screamed and cried and screamed some more. Eames then burst in with a frantic look on his face. He tried to hold me but I hit and punched him. He tightly held my wrists together if front of me, though I still struggled, still screamed.

"Ariadne, stop screaming, please! What happened?" Eames frantically asked, sitting on the midnight blue comforter in an attempt to better restrain me.

"I told you to sleep at a hotel! I don't want you in my apartment!" I spoke loudly at him having stopped screaming in terror.

"Did you really think I was going to leave you here alone after what you just told me? I slept on the couch, just to let you know," he said with a hint of frustration in his voice. He reluctantly but gently let go of my wrists and repositioned himself on the bed so he was facing me.

"And no thanks to you I now have nightmares! Look at what you all made me become!" I shrieked.

"Why are you so afraid of dreaming? Shared dreaming I understand, but regular dreaming you shouldn't worry about at all. What's gotten into you, love?" he asked, concerned.

"I worry because I don't want to loose my grip on reality like _she _did. What's the point of dreaming anyway? Sure, I can make all the buildings I want to in my dreams, but I can't make them in reality. What's the point of doing it at all? There's no purpose because it's all in my head and I can't make it happen in real life. Get your arrogant head out of the clouds! You can't change anything in the dream world; you can't do anything significant because nothing ever changes in reality when you dream. I can't bring a paradox into reality because it can't happen! There's no point in dreaming it in the first place, so why bother? It doesn't change anything, it only brings fear and nightmares," I whispered, feeling frustrated and weak.

"You of all people should know that it changes everything. Would Fischer have brought down his father's company if it weren't for us planting the idea in his head while he was dreaming? Yeah, you can't raise bridges in reality or make paradoxes, but you sure as hell can make a difference. And if you can't understand that then we haven't taught you well enough. Ariadne, it's my job to read people, don't pretend that I can't read you. You've changed and I miss the old you, the spunky, curious you. But if dreaming destroyed that part of you, then I'm going to have to fix it whether you like it or not. I know being in Limbo scared you, but it's not ever going to happen again, I'll make sure of that," Eames said forcefully, like he was a father lecturing his child.

"It isn't going to happen again because I'm never dreaming again," I said menacingly, sending an incredulous look his way as he turned on the bedside light and I squinted at the painful brightness. He briefly glanced across the room, taking in the cherry wood dressers and side tables, the high windows, the burgundy rug, and the many sketches of buildings that decorated the walls.

"Oh, yes you are, darling."

**AN: Sorry, as a reviewer pointed out, Eames has blue eyes, not brown. I just thought he had brown eyes because in some pictures it looks like he does, so sorry for the mistake! I have some sort of idea with what the next chapter is going to be like, but it might take awhile to write since I have another story I am working on. Thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Inception or any of its characters, Christopher Nolan does.**

The rest of the night I slept very little and what little sleep I did get was fitful. I grudgingly let Eames continue to sleep on the coach, but I locked my bedroom door. When the morning sunlight streamed in through the windows I got up and went into the kitchen where the strong scent of coffee hit me. Eames turned and threw an acknowledging smile my way before he turned back and continued to attend to his coffee.

I sat down on a wooden stool and leaned against the gray granite counter top. I mindlessly peeled a banana and was surprised when Eames pushed a steaming cup of coffee my way made just the way I loved it- vanilla cream and sugar. I smiled thankfully and relished the sweet smell and taste of the coffee. We sat in a heavy silence while we ate our breakfast before Eames gave an awkward cough and asked, "So about this dream you had last night…?"

"I don't want to talk about it and if I did I wouldn't talk to you about it. Why are you even still here? I told you my story, you need to leave, preferably now," I said with a hint of annoyance.

"Oh darling, telling me what happened is only half the reason why I'm here. I now need to help you," he explained.

"I already told you, I don't _want_ your help!"

"Ariadne, stop resisting this! You know I have your best interests at heart! So please, hear me out, if you let me know what your dream was, I can figure out what the source of your troubles is and I can help!" he pleaded, tapping the counter top impatiently.

I contemplated this for awhile as he searched my eyes for something though I had no clue what he was looking for in them. He had the expression of pure concern on his face. Maybe he did just want to help. I sighed heavily and surrendered, "Fine, you can help, but if I get uncomfortable, we stop what we are doing. But, I need to go call Professor Miles and tell him I am going to be out for awhile."

"Already done that and you really don't need to, I mean your break is in one week so there is really no point in going back to the college. I also took the liberty in calling your friends and notifying them that you are going on vacation in England, so there will be no disturbances," he finished with a devilish smile on his face.

I gaped in horror at him and he laughed heartily, shoulders shaking. "You are just the worst Eames! You called all of my friends? How did you even get their numbers?"

"Oh details, details. You know I have my ways," another devilish smile crossed his face, "We should start our session," he said with quite a bit of seriousness in his voice.

"Um okay, what are we doing exactly?" I asked hesitantly.

"Why, hypnosis of course! It's the easiest way to see what exactly is going on in that pretty little head of yours," he stated, fluffing my hair slightly.

"You know how to hypnotize people?" I asked, alarmed.

"You could say so, but let's begin," he said.

He led me over to the coach and had me lie down. I relaxed my body as instructed, keeping my limbs separated and uncrossed so I was more open to the hypnosis process. Eames pulled up a burgundy armchair and placed it directly in front of the coach.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes and listen only to my voice, nothing else. Concentrate on me," he said quietly.

"Ha, that's sort of cliché," I mumbled.

"Ariadne," he warned.

"Fine, fine," I said.

I relaxed my body once more, sinking deep into the plush of the coach. I faintly heard a jingling noise and resisted the urge to open my eyes. Just when I thought I was about to fall asleep, Eames whispered, "Open your eyes."

He had a golden pocket watch that dangled in his hand. Gently, he rocked his hand back and forth, causing the watch to follow the same movements. As is swung steadily in his hand he said calmly, "Keep your eyes on the watch. Listen to my voice," The watch mesmerized me with its gentle rocking motion, I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. As my eyes followed the watch, Eames whispered slowly, "Now, you are getting very sleepy. With the snap of my fingers, you will fall into a deep sleep. When you are in this deep sleep, you must answer all of my questions I ask you. When I snap again, you will awaken."

My eyes started to droop and just before they closed, Eames snapped his fingers and my vision went blank.

_Break _

Her head dropped and then slowly rose. Her eyes had a glassy, blank look about them, as if she were in a daze, which she was. She was fully hypnotized. The questions could begin. I cleared my throat before I asked experimentally, "What is my name?"

"Eames," she answered automatically without expression in her voice.

"Okay, what happened in your dream? Be specific."

"I don't remember much, Cobb and Mal were there. Mal was chasing me, she pushed me off a paradox and she controlled the dream. I can't explain it, but somehow she changed the place the dream took place. Then she tied me up and I got hit by a train. She said some things I don't understand," Ariadne said hauntingly.

"What did she said exactly?"

"I can't remember," she said simply.

"Are you afraid of becoming like Mal?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to go back into the dream world?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want people inside my head, I don't want people to mess with my head. I'm afraid of going crazy because of that."

"If I offered you protection from dream invasion, would you take it?"

"Maybe," she said and I was confused by this.

"If I gave you protection, would you go back to the dream world?" I asked carefully.

"Maybe," she said vaguely.

I sighed, exasperated. I got most of the information I needed but I couldn't resist in asking on last question, "Are you in a relationship with anyone?"

"I'm good friends with a guy named Seth. We are kind of dating. He's a good person and I really do like him," she said emotionless.

"Is he the reason why you won't go back to the dream world?" I asked, suspicious.

"No."

I sighed once again and snapped my fingers. Ariadne awoke with a jerk, shook her head, and looked at me steadily. "Are we done?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Oh no, love, this is just the beginning but we are getting somewhere," I smiled at her as she got up gracefully to change her clothes. I let out a heavy sigh when she left the room; things were going to get a lot harder, especially for Ariadne. This was going to be harder than I thought, much harder. Cobb or Arthur might have to intervene. Yusuf was definitely was going to be needed if my plan was going to work.

**AN: I wanted to publish this chapter before I get off for a long break from school. I most likely won't get another chapter up until the break is over, but I will continue this story! :D I really am not sure what happens to people while they are under hypnosis and I don't know how they answer questions/react so this is what I have guessed it to be like. Thanks for reading! Review please! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

After I entered my room, I locked the door with a satisfying click. I stumbled over to the alcove by the window and slumped down, hugging my knees tightly to my chest. Tears slowly fell down my cheeks and sobs shook my whole body.

I had become a prisoner in my own home. I agreed to get help from someone I never thought I would see again. After that phone call, all the walls I had built up since the Inception job came crashing down. All the memories I had kept suppressed came bubbling back up to the surface of my mind. The normal life I was trying to come back to was slipping out from under me. All the time I spent trying to let the dust settle and go back as if the dream world never was introduced to me meant nothing because of that phone call. That one phone call was the start of my demise. Then Eames showed up and that made it ten times worse. The life I have worked so hard to forget suddenly burst back into my life and I had no control over it. Eames was trying to force upon this lifestyle I wanted no part of. I had no control at all and I hated that because I had no certainty of what was going to happen.

Even if I wanted help, I would have rather had Cobb come. He at least knows what it feels like to be afraid of dreaming and your complete awareness of your grip of reality slowly coming apart. But he got out of it, he got through it and he is fine now. His certainty of reality only came back because he swore himself from the dream world and that is what I was trying to do until Eames busted back into my life. Why would they send Eames anyway? Why not Arthur or Yusuf? Surely they must be better equipped for this kind of thing than Eames! I barely even knew him! Eames wasn't even acting like himself; he wasn't acting like the care-free, humorous guy I knew during Inception. Now, he's acting more down-to-earth, more serious. I couldn't explain it.

I snapped out of my musings when I heard Eames on the phone. I quickly wiped my tears and listened hard.

It sounded as though he was at the end of a phone call, "…needs our help! Thanks Yusuf, this means a lot," he paused for awhile to let Yusuf talk, "Okay, just make sure you have all the stuff! I'll see you tomorrow, bye." I heard the sound of a cell phone being snapped shut and Eames gave a heavy, tired sigh.

After the call ended I turned my head to look outside of my window. It was midday and a few clouds were strewn across the bright blue sky. Many people walked below in a bustle, some dressed in high-fashion clothes, some dressed in tacky, tourist clothes, and some dressed rather poorly. The best thing about Paris was the varying architecture of each building to the next, no building was exactly the same.

As I was admiring the buildings, I heard the sound of a door knob rattling. I figured Eames was trying to get in, but I wanted my alone time. I continued to gaze longingly out the window for quite some time. I've only been in the apartment for one day and I already yearned to step outside, to get lost in the commotion of the city. Suddenly I heard a familiar _click _of a latch unlocking and Eames cautiously stepped in the room, lock pick in hand.

I angrily chucked a pillow at Eames which he easily ducked out of the way of while he placed the pick back in his pocket. I grunted in anger and quickly rubbed at my face to hide the fact that I was crying, which I rarely do. Eames slowly came closer though I refused to make eye contact with him.

Eames whispered, concerned, "Ariadne, what's wrong? Why did you lock the door?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? Hm, let me see what's wrong! Maybe it's because I'm a prisoner in my own home! I'm pretty sure that would make some people just a _tad_ bit angry!" I yelled at him with sarcasm dripping with every word.

"Ariadne, the reason why you can't leave is because you threatened to _kill_ yourself yesterday! It's not that I want to keep you locked up!" Eames explained with an annoying calmness.

"Then why did you break in here? If I can't leave then it would be nice to at least have _some_ privacy in my own room!" I spat back venomously.

"Ariadne I was worried about you! I first heard you crying and then the door was locked so I wanted to see if you were alright!" he said with a worried look on his face. He offered me a neat, white handkerchief which I tossed to the floor. I knew I was being childish, but I didn't care, I just wanted him out of my room.

"Ariadne, listen to me," he sat on the alcove and gently but firmly took my wrists in his hands, "I am here to protect you, to help you, and be there for you. You have been through so much, but we couldn't contact you until now because we didn't want anyone to connect us to the Fischer job. Now I'm here to help you get over this-this obstacle, if you will, because you're torturing yourself and you can't live like that. If you don't want to end up like Mal, then you have to stop torturing yourself and accept the help I am offering you!"

"It wasn't much of an offer; it was more like a command. You only want to help me because you need me for some stupid job!" I whispered as anger filled my voice. I tried to wrench my wrists from his grasp but he held firm. He moved closer to me, his face was only a foot away.

"It's _your_ choice if you want to go back to the dream world. I want to help you stop being afraid of dreaming so you can live a normal life! I'm not doing this for a job, I'm doing this because I care about you!" he whispered softly.

"So what do Arthur, Cobb, and Yusuf not care about me?" I asked, still angered.

"No, they all care about you deeply, darling. But Cobb can't come because of his children; you know that, he has his own life to live. Arthur couldn't come because of family matters, but he will call and talk to you sometime this week. Yusuf, in fact, is coming tomorrow to see you. So don't say that we don't care about you," he said firmly and quietly.

"Funny how Cobb always uses the same excuse, 'because of his children', and then where is Miles in this little love bunch, then?" I asked bitterly.

"Ariadne, don't say that about Cobb!" Eames exclaimed angrily, "It was him who got me the ticket to come here, it was _him_ who told me what to do to help you, so don't say anything rude about him! Stop being so rude and ungrateful and stubborn! We are only trying to _help!_ We haven't informed Miles of this situation yet, but he has been worried about you too! Stop acting like no one cares about you, Ariadne, because the fact is, everyone does care about you!" he whispered fiercely. I expected him to drop my hands, but he pulled me even closer so that we were less than six inches apart. I searched Eames' honest, worried, and concerned blue eyes, searching for the truth hidden deep within them. I realized that my heart was pounding and my breath was coming in short gasps. I didn't know exactly what was making my heart react this way whether it was the intensity of the situation or the unusual closeness of our bodies that I was not used to. I was never a touchy-feely person, so this was very awkward.

My eyes watered when I realized how much the team _did_ care. I quickly unlocked my gaze on him and fixed my eyes on the floral pattern of the cushion I was sitting on so he wouldn't see my tears. But no matter how much they cared, it couldn't change how afraid I was or how I felt. After a few moments, Eames gently let go of my hands and sat up. "So, will you accept our help?" he asked so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"No," I whispered shakily, "It's nice to know that you guys care but you can't change the way I feel. You guys can't help me, I don't want it. In my mind, I'm a lost cause so you shouldn't even bother." Tears started to roll down my cheeks and I sniffled as I slowly glanced up to see Eames walk out of the room without another word and swiftly shut the door behind him, leaving me sobbing alone with a sudden empty feeling churning inside.

**AN: I know this is long overdue so here it is! I hope you like it! Opinions are always welcome! Reviews are encouraged. I'm just saying there MIGHT be a romance but the story will not be revolved around it. I do love these two as friends and as a couple but I'm not really a fan of the sappy, lovey-dovey stuff so I won't write it because I don't like it and I can't write that stuff very well. So yeah, and feel free to give ideas for the story! Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

I paced hastily around in Ariadne's surprisingly undecorated living room a few hours after our "conversation". The only pictures that covered the walls were a few precious family photos and random sketches of different buildings placed here and there. I was on the phone with Arthur who was being frustratingly calm and composed.

"Arthur, she needs help _now_! We can't wait. We've been going in this circle. She let's me in a little and then she shuts herself down again. She agreed to the hypnosis but then I offered her help and she refused. She even said that she was a lost cause! If she thinks that, then we need to help her now!" I hurriedly said, pinching the bridge of my nose tightly in frustration.

"Eames, I don't feel comfortable with you doing this if I'm not there. Can't you wait?" Arthur asked coolly.

"No Arthur, we can't wait. I've already told you this. You need to take care of your mother and Yusuf and I will take care of Ariadne. I think I am the only one capable of helping her, you might compromise the mission…" I trailed off, rubbing my hand through my hair hastily.

Arthur sighed, "I'm still not comfortable with this, but I trust you. Take care of her; she's in your hands now. Do _not_ screw this up." he warned.

"Thanks Arthur, your confidence in me really is reassuring," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes, "Just come here when ever you can, after I help her, she'll need all the support she can get." I hung up the phone and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

_Break_

I stayed in my room for the rest of the day and night. I slept fitfully but I didn't dream, thankfully. When the golden morning light streamed in through the high windows I grudgingly got up and went to take a shower. I realized that I was still in the clothes I wore yesterday. I peeled off my dirty clothes and got ready to take a shower.

After I stepped in the comfortingly hot shower, I let my mind wander. I thought about Eames and what he said last night. He said that he cared; did that make him my friend? He was treating me well even after all the fits I threw… But I shook my head and shoved the thought down deep into my mind; he was only tolerating me, he was not my friend.

Eames did fascinate me though. Ever since I met Eames I've always wondered about how he could change into other people in dreams. His military involvement also intrigued me. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. Even though he was my jailer, it might not hurt to get to know him a bit. During the Inception job we kept a professional relationship and I didn't know much about him besides that he was a great poker player, he was an excellent thief and forger, and that he and Arthur couldn't stand each other.

I finished my shower and threw on a pair of dark denim jeans, a white t-shirt, and a rose red sweater-shrug. I then put on my favorite red lip stick. I brushed my dripping hair quickly and let in fall in wet clumps around my head before I stepped out of the bathroom.

I hesitantly slipped into the kitchen where Eames stood by the stove top. He turned at the sound of the door closing and threw a smile my way before he returned to a boiling tea kettle. I slipped onto a stool and sat tensely, waiting for Eames to say something. He continued to make some sort of tea, patiently waiting for it to steep perfectly before he threw the teabag away. I awkwardly cleared my throat as he started to pour a small amount of honey into the tea cup. He turned to me when he finished and pushed the steaming cup gently my way.

I gave him a quizzical look after I peered into the cup. "It's just green tea. It calms frantic nerves," Eames said calmly, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Aren't you angry with me? After all that I said?" I asked nervously as I spun the hot cup in my hands, ignoring the stinging it brought.

Eames chuckled and said, "Of course not dear! We both had a…bloody difficult day yesterday. I knew you needed time to calm down and collect your thoughts so I didn't want to bother you. I hope you had a peaceful night. And, just to answer the question written all over your face, I gave you tea because coffee would make you more frantic and on edge, especially after yesterday, and tea calms your nerves. But I hope you had a good sleep, no bad dreams?" Eames asked very, and oddly, gentlemen like.

"Uh no, thanks for asking. So when is Yusuf coming over?" I asked tentatively, confused by the way Eames was acting.

"Oh, he's coming over soon, maybe in two hours or so," Eames said while he slide into a stool across from me, "Is your tea good?"

"I haven't tried it yet," I continued to twirl the tea cup in my hands before I hesitantly whispered while fixating my eyes on the cup, "Eames, what did you do in the military?"

His whole body visibly tensed. He set his jaw in a hard line, the line seemed even harsher in the golden morning light that was streaming in from the windows. His face went blank as his grip on the counter tightened until his knuckles turned bone white. I was about to apologize before he muttered in a clipped, firm voice, "All I did was train soldiers, that's it."

I quickly looked up and quirked an eyebrow and whispered calmly, "That doesn't sound like all of it."

"Well it is. Ariadne, there are things you should and should not know. If I wanted to tell you about my involvement in the military, I would have," he said in a firm, tense, and almost angry voice. I locked my eyes on his blue ones and the look he gave me said to end that part of the conversation.

His body relaxed when I quietly said, "Why is Yusuf coming over?"

"Because he wants to see you of course!" he said lightly, dramatically changing the mood of the conversation.

"And, um, why can't Arthur come?" I asked awkwardly, I didn't know how to go about the sudden mood change.

"Oh, poor stick in the mud, his mother has fallen ill. He's staying in the hospital with her in New Hampshire until she gets better. When I last called him she was improving, he said that if things are going along as good as they are, she might be out in a week and he can come to see you!" he explained, twiddling his thumbs. He seemed nervous, like he was waiting for something.

"Oh," I whispered. I wanted to change the subject again so I asked carefully, "How did you get so good a poker?"

"Practice, love, practice," he gave a playful wink and said suggestively, "Want to play?" he quirked an eyebrow up and down repeatedly, making the funniest of faces.

I laughed at the sight of him and gasped out between fits of giggles, "No!...I don't…want to…end up…broke!"

He chuckled along with me and when we calmed down he asked, "Have you even tried your tea yet? I made it extra special, just for you!" he gave an adorable pout and blinked his eyes repeatedly, resembling a little girl asking for a toy she desperately wanted.

"Ha-ha okay I'll drink it!" I said playfully. The tea smelled quite enticing. I raised the cup to my lips and tasted green tea with a hint of honey to soften the bitterness. It tasted quite delicious actually, considering Eames made it. But there was another taste in there that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It tasted like copper, but only a hint of it.

I was about to ask Eames about what he put in the tea when suddenly, my vision began to blur. Eames' face swam across my vision; he had a regretful look on his face. Anger surged up in me when I realized he drugged my tea, he probably put some sort of sedative in it. I whispered hurtfully and angrily, "You betrayed me, you tricked me and I was beginning to trust you!" I tried to remain conscious as the room spun to the point of making me extremely nauseous. I grasped onto the counter top for support, trying not to fall over. I gasped as pain throbbed in my temples at my struggle to stay awake. I vaguely heard a knock at the door and the shrieking scrape of Eames' stool as he got up. His footsteps sounded like gunshots as he walked to the door and I winced in pain with every step I heard. He opened the door and I looked over just in time to see Yusuf walk in with a mixture of pity and regret on his tan face as black seeped into the corner of my eyes and then slowly close around to the middle until there was only black.

Before I went completely unconscious, I remembered falling off of the stool and before I hit the ground, a strong, warm pair of arms caught me. One part of me said I was safe, the other screamed that I wasn't.

**AN: Sorry this took a long time to put out! But it is quite long, if that makes up for it! I do not own Inception or any of its characters. I just want to say thanks for all of you who favorited, story alerted, reviewed, and read my story! It really does mean a lot. Again, this might become a romance thing but it's going to take time, love just isn't going to spring up over night though that would be easier to write ha-ha. Reviews are always welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ariadne lay unconscious in my arms. The full impact of what she said was starting to hit me. I _betrayed_ her. I misused her trust; I shattered it into a thousand, tiny little pieces just when she gave it to me. Even though I was doing it for her own good and safety, I still felt guilty; I felt that I should apologize to her. Quietly I whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What did you say?" Yusuf asked.

"Nothing." I dismissed his question.

"Well we have to get started, bring her to her bedroom," Yusuf said, heading off to Ariadne's room with the PASIV.

I heaved her unconscious body up in my arms and walked delicately to her room, careful not to hit her into something. She was surprisingly light. I laid her on the bed carefully, pulling part of the midnight blue comforter around her and then brought out her right arm and laid it delicately on top of the blanket, hand up. Her hair fell in a slightly damp halo around her pale face. The golden light that streamed in through the windows softened her face, making her look younger and peaceful. But, the ghost of betrayal and anger was etched into her face and it sent a painful pang through my chest.

Yusuf gave a loud cough that snapped me out of my thoughts. I forgot he was in the room. He already had the PASIV set up and started to take Ariadne's pulse. After he was done checking her pulse he turned to me, raised an eyebrow, and said, "She's ready. Are you?"

"Yeah, I just need to call Arthur and Cobb," I replied.

I promptly got out my phone and dialed Arthur's number. He picked up immediately. "Hello? Eames?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me. We're about to do it. She's sedated. Wish us luck," I said with more calmness then I actually felt.

"How long will she be sedated?"

"Four to five hours, at least, maybe six."

"Six hours? That's a long time! Why would you need that much time?" Arthur exclaimed.

"We need that time because this is Ariadne and I going to give her as much time as she needs. It's better to have more time than not enough," Eames explained.

"Will she go into Limbo if she kills herself?"

"No, the sedative is not strong enough, she'll just wake up."

"But what if she does kill herself before you get the job done?"

"I've got that taken care of, stop asking so many damn questions!" Eames exclaimed in frustration.

"But~" Arthur was cut off when Eames snapped the phone shut. He sighed and mumbled something about Arthur being an overbearing stick in the mud. He opened up the phone again and called Cobb.

He picked up the phone on the fourth ring, "Hello?" Cobb said breathlessly, like he ran to pick up the phone.

"Hey, Cobb, we're about to begin." Eames said shortly.

"You know what to do?" Cobb asked, his breath becoming less ragged, his voice becoming more serious.

"Yes, wish us luck."

"Good luck Eames, she's in your hands, take care of her," Cobb whispered and then ended the call.

Eames turned to Yusuf and said, "Let's get started."

Eames lied down on the bed carefully next to Ariadne. Yusuf passed him two needles and Eames inserted one carefully into Ariadne's wrist and then did the same with the other needle to himself. Yusuf made some adjustments to the PASIV and then turned to Eames and said, "We should get started. You do need to give yourselves the kick to get out, have you come up with one?"

"Yes, but first I need to find something," I said, a thought dawning on me. I hastily removed the needle and hurriedly started to look around the room. Yusuf gave me a confused look but I waved his curiosity away.

Ariadne was going to need her totem when she woke up. I knew she hid it, but not somewhere personal like Mal did. She hid it somewhere casual, where no one would think to look. I searched under the bed, in the closet, in the medicine cabinets, and then I finally looked in the drawers. I searched through the upper right drawer which had many colorful scarves in it. My fingers searched to the very back, only feeling the silk scarves until suddenly I felt a plastic sandwich bag. Gently, I withdrew the bad and gave a small cheer when it was Ariadne's brass bishop. I rushed over to Ariadne, opened her small had and slid the bishop carefully out of the bag into her cold, unresponsive fingers. I then closed her fingers around the bishop and said to Yusuf, "Now we can begin."

I climbed back into the bed, reinserted the needle, and situated myself in a comfortable position. I gave Yusuf a nod to give him the go-ahead and Yusuf pressed the white button, gave a small smile, and said quietly, as though not to wake Ariadne, "Good luck."

Instantly my eyes began to droop with exhaustion and before I knew it, I was falling deep into the recesses of the dream world, into Ariadne's dream world.

_Break _

I woke with a gasp. It was nighttime, pale moonlight flooded through the windows. I faintly realized that I was in my room in my apartment. I was drenched in sweat and the covers were pulled tight against me. I got out of bed to look around and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. The city was unnaturally silent; usually there was a steady stream of city noise every day and night, but tonight, the city seemed asleep. I looked out the window: no cars, no people, no _anything._ Everyone seemed to have just…disappeared.

I stepped away from the window and went into the living room. A bone-chilling cold wrapped around my body, sending involuntary shivers down my spine. Something was wrong. _Someone_ was here. Suddenly, one of the lamps on an end table flickered on, casting a sickly yellow light that encased only one part of the room, leaving the other half in total darkness. Mal was seated on my burgundy chair with a wine glass filled red wine in one of her hands. The other was clenched around something. She smirked at my horror. I stood there frozen as she continued to examine me, eyes piercing through me. It seemed as though she could see right through me, see right into me, and not in a good way.

She stood up gracefully, like a panther. She was wearing a long, black, floor-length, v-neck dress. She purposefully dropped the wine glass, letting it shatter to the floor, leaving tiny shards of glass scattered about the floor and a huge blood-red stain that started to seep through the floor boards.

"Whoopsies," she giggled, stepping purposefully closer to me, taking each step with ease, but very calculated.

I just stared in gaping horror, unable to do anything. I was somehow lost in this trance of some sort, a trance that she seemed to cast on everybody she came in contact with. Her presence alone demanded attention.

"Do you know what it's like to be in love? To find the other half to your whole?" she asked mockingly, watching me squirm under her gaze, "I've already asked you this question, and yet you haven't given me an answer. Have you ever been in love?"

I stood there, silent, digging my finger nails into the palm of my hand. I wasn't going to take her bait, I wasn't going to lose control even though I wanted to smack that smirk off of her face. She started to circle me, trailing her free hand across my shoulders. The touch was freezing and it made me shiver uncontrollably.

"I don't think you have been in love. I'll tell you all about it. It's a wonderful feeling. You feel complete. You don't have to keep searching, you don't have any doubts. You know right away that you want to marry that person and start a family with them. The best part is that they completely understand you. I didn't ever have to lie to Dom about what I did for a living because he did it too. But the worst part is that they can break your heart, like Dom did. He didn't believe me, he thought that we were in reality, but we weren't, we were in a dream. But he chose to break my heart when he refused to jump with me. He broke my heart when he took me away from the reality we made in Limbo. He betrayed me by doing Inception on me. But I loved him through it all. _That's_ what true love is. You understand each other, you forgive each other," Mal ended her speech and stopped directly in front of me.

"But poor you, you haven't experienced true love. Maybe that's a good thing," she shook her head, her curls bouncing, and then smiled evilly and raised her clenched fist. Slowly she uncurled her long fingers to expose a bishop, _my_ bishop. "Oh, I think you might need this," she started to hand it to me but then snatched it back.

She slowly closed her hand, crushing my bishop into an unrecognizable lump of metal. She cackled at my fear and terror. She dropped what used to me my bishop to the floor with a thud were it splashed in the red wine. I screamed at her, I screamed that she destroyed what I used to distinguish reality from dreams, or what I used to use. Now my only hope was gone. I cried and hot tears ran down my face as she laughed even harder, the harsh sound echoing through the eerily quiet room. I sank to my knees, hugging myself as if I had lost a part of me, still screaming and crying. Mal was going to make me mad and insane like she was. She was going to be my downfall. Like she said in my previous dream, _"No one can save you now."_

I faintly heard the sound of footsteps, it barely registered in my mind, but they were there, slowly coming closer, tentatively walking toward Mal and me. The owner of the footsteps sounded like a man.

"Ariadne?"

**AN: I am truly sorry this took so long to get out. Time just slipped away from me with all the stuff that has been going on. Thanks to Royleen (I hope I spelled that right), I remembered that I still have a story to write. Oh, I just want to tell you what I think about Eames' personality (from what I've seen in the movie). I think he has a good sense of humor but is very smart and can be very serious at times. I don't think he's a playboy as some stories portray him to be, or a severe drunk. So yeah, that's what I think. I promise to be a little more consistent with my story and I promise that I haven't fallen of the face of the Earth. Reviews are nice!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Ariadne? Ariadne!" I said, rushing over toward her.

Mal was standing, cackling madly, over Ariadne who was curled into a tight ball on the floor. I rushed at Mal and grabbed her arm, roughly threw her out of the apartment and locked the door with a _click_. I then turned back to Ariadne, who was still screaming and rocking on the floor, completely unaware of my presence. Crouching down next to her, I laid my hand delicately on her shoulder and whispered, "Ariadne, it's me, Eames."

She slowly raised her head, her face was red and streaked with tears and some of her hair stuck to her face in damp clumps. Her screams died in her throat and the only sound she made was small hiccups. Realization dawned on her face as she slowly began to process who was sitting right in front of her. She hastily backed away in fear, bumping into her white leather couch.

I raised my hands in the universal sign of surrender, trying to calm her, trying to show her that I meant her no harm. I whispered slowly and quietly, "Ariadne, it's me, Eames. You know I would never hurt you."

She looked me up and down, assessing me, assessing how much of a danger I could be. Slowly, she nodded her head, signaling that she somewhat trusted me, or at least trusted me to not hurt her.

Ariadne sniffled, whipping away the tears from her face before she said shakily, "Where- where is Mal?"

"Outside, don't worry she's not coming back in here anytime soon, darling," I reassured her. I sighed heavily and then asked, "What did she do to you?"

Ariadne gave a shudder and cried out, "She- she crushed my totem!"

I was taken aback by surprise, but I recomposed myself and said calmly, "No, she didn't. Look in your pocket."

She reached into her pocket shakily, drawing out her bishop with a look of complete disbelief on her face. She held it delicately in the palm of her hand, like it was an injured bird. She flipped it back and forth, testing its weight, before she finally set in on the hard wood floor and tipped it over. Her eyes widened and then whispered in disbelief, "I- I'm dreaming?"

"Yes, love, you are," I said cautiously, looking up, examining her reaction.

"I can't be, Mal never died, Cobb lied to me. Mal never died…" Ariadne said, dropping her totem to the floor with a _clunk._

"No, no darling! Mal is dead, you are dreaming, and Cobb didn't lie! Stop letting her manipulate you!" I exclaimed while I reached out and clutched her wrist tightly, leaning toward her, "Stop letting her control you, Ariadne! You're better than that! You're stronger than that, stronger than _her_!"

Snatching her wrist away, Ariadne hastily stood up and turned away from me, arms crossed tight against her torso. Slowly, I stood up and walked carefully towards her. When she did not protest with me being within two feet of her, I gently pulled her into a comforting hug. We stood there for awhile and then she pulled away, saying, "It's nice to know that you think of me that way but…" She pushed me away harshly, anger twisting her face into something completely unrecognizable. She screamed, her voice raspy, "You don't know me! You have no freaking clue as to who I am! You _will not _control me in this dream and I am waking up!" She pulled out a gun from her jeans pocket and put it against her temple, finger ready to pull the trigger.

I was taken aback by her sudden burst of anger. Staying exactly where I was, not moving at all, I said in a low, calm voice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why?" she asked, annoyed, pressing the gun even harder against her temple, daring me to give her an answer.

"I think you know why, love. You know exactly why," I warned.

"Your lying!" she screamed, but the gun was lowered an inch.

"No, I'm not. If you shoot yourself, you _will _go to Limbo and I don't think you want to go there again," I said calmly but forcefully, taking a confident step toward her, arm stretched out, urging her to hand me the gun.

She dropped the gun where it clattered to the ground. I swiftly picked it up and tucked into my jacket. Ariadne sat heavily down on the couch, sighing in defeat. She covered her face in her hands, letting out a small sob. I sat down gently next to her and started to rub her back in small circles. She jerked away and hissed, "Don't touch me!"

I sighed and sat back, taking out my prized poker chip and started to mindlessly flip it around in my hands. We sat there for a few minutes in silence before I whispered, "You know you have to overcome your fear of Mal. It's the only way you can be your old self again. I don't like seeing you like this and I miss the old you. I think you miss the old you, too. Oh, and just one question: Why are you accepting my help now?" I quirked an eyebrow, awaiting her response.

She waited a few moments before replying very carefully and calculating, "Yeah…but I don't know how! This fear consumes me, controls me. I accustomed myself to living in fear for so long; I lost myself in the process. Cobb should have anticipated this. He put me on a job as hard as Inception and just left me there hanging afterward to pick up the pieces. But, there were too many pieces to pick up, I was too broken. While I didn't want to see you guys, if you guys were actually there for me after the job, I think I wouldn't have escalated to this," she gestured towards herself and gave a short, humorless laugh, "I think I needed support. And to answer your question, I'm here, in this dream, so why not accept the help? I might as well overcome my fear while I'm here."

I processed this information for awhile; chewing on my lip and rubbing my hand threw my hair, before I said carefully, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. We're all sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us the most. But you know the rules. We couldn't see you right after Inception because of the danger of being traced to one another. That would have just put you in unnecessary danger," I sighed and gently tugged her to lean against me. She rested her head on my shoulder and then I said, "But I'm here for you now."

She sat there for a moment, contemplating what she was going to say next. All the while I fidgeted, desperately waiting for her answer. Just as I was about to ask her for her response, she whispered gratefully, giving a small smile, "Yeah, you here now."

**AN: Okay, sorry this chapter is kind of short, but I had to end it here. It is a more personal chapter between Ariadne and Eames, so I hope you liked it! The next chapter should be out soon *cross fingers* but no promises, because I'm not that good at time management.**


	9. Chapter 9

We waited until dawn came. Just as the sun was peaking over the horizon, we set off, taking purposeful strides into Paris. The sky was overcast with dark, gray, billowing clouds. I wrapped my red overcoat tight around my torso as the cold wind blew around me, whipping my hair in every which-way, turning it into a tangled mess. Late fall in Paris could be bitter.

Eames walked behind me, a couple of feet back, and I was physically aware of his strong presence. It was almost a tingly sensation, as if he was about to touch me. Even with this odd, unfamiliar sensation, I did not look back. I pressed on, walking towards the _very _familiar bridge were two figures stood in the distance. For some unknown reason, my chest tightened in pain. It was as if my chest were hollow. The wind picked up even more and I looked quickly around, noticing people that I didn't see last night.

"Those yours or mine?" I asked bluntly, though curious, waving carelessly in the general direction of the people.

"What is yours or mine?" Eames asked, slightly confused.

"The projections, of course," I replied, sending a smirk over my shoulder.

"Oh, those- those are mine," Eames explained mildly.

I vaguely heard his steps slow as we approached within ten feet of the figures who were leaning against the side of the bridge. I hesitated a moment, then took a few small, unsure steps toward the two lone figures. It registered in the back of my mind that we were the only four people on the bridge, not another soul in sight.

I gave a small cough and one of the figures turned slowly, their mouth set in a mocking smirk. _Oh God, it's Mal! _I thought, panicking. I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself why I was here: to get rid of her. The other figure, I noticed, still hadn't moved. It was only when Mal took them harshly by their shoulder and twirled them around did I finally see who they were. To my horror, it was Cobb.

Cobb's dirty blond hair fell in his tired blue eyes, as if he was just too weak to brush it away. His beige blazer was unbuttoned and flapping in the wind, as if he didn't care anymore. His mouth was set in a sad frown, almost a grimace, and his face held more worry lines than ever before. But his eyes told the whole story, he was scared, he was beaten down, he was broken, and all because of this monster standing behind him.

Mal pushed him forward roughly, almost knocking him over. In her hand I saw a gun pushed up against the small of Cobb's back. She cocked her head to the side, examining both Cobb and me, flicking her eyes back and forth between us. A crazed, evil smile slowly spread across her face.

"Ah- just the person I wanted to see. My dear Ariadne, I'm going to teach you a lesson," she said very sickly-sweetly, as if she were talking to a child.

"No, you're not. I have some unfinished business with you," I whispered as my body tensed, going into fighting mode.

"Not after I give my lesson," she warned, raising the gun to Cobb's head, "Maybe I'll give Cobb a lesson, as well."

I was frozen. I had no clue what to do. I stood there like an idiot, paralyzed. Mal cackled madly, the chuckles were harsh and clipped. She pressed the gun even harder against Cobb's head, causing him to wince at the painful pressure. I raised my hands carefully in surrender.

"Good, now that I definitely have your attention, we can begin. You see, Ariadne, I want to have a nice…_talk_…with Cobb about our marriage, about our love. I didn't quite like it when Cobb betrayed me, and I especially didn't like it when he had us run over by a train. YOU BETRAYED ME AND YOU WILL PAY!" she bellowed at Cobb as she kicked out his knees and made him collapse to the ground in a pathetic heap.

Cobb shook violently, from sobs or from fear I didn't know. He slowly raised his head and whispered weakly, "Help."

"Ariadne, stop this, quickly," Eames whispered from about ten feet behind me, unmoving. I knew that he had to let me finish this myself.

"And you," she said menacingly, turning toward me, "You helped him. I didn't particularly like being shot, especially in my home."

"But that wasn't your home!" I yelled, fury rising up in me at her accusations.

"Yes, it was! It was Cobb's and my home, _our_ home! And you came in and destroyed it and you took Cobb away from me! Cobb loved me before _you_ came along! You both will pay!" she screamed and she fired one single bullet into Cobb's back.

I yelped at the sudden shot, jumping into the air at the same time. My pathetic yelp turned into a drawn out scream as blood started to seep through the back his coat were a small bullet hole protruded. Mal then pulled out a gleaming eight-inch knife and started to plunge it into Cobb's back. With each stab she screeched madly, "YOU. WILL. PAY!"

As Cobb screamed in tremendous, unbelievable pain, more burgundy blood started to seep through his stab wounds, making a small pool of blood form around him, staining the concrete sidewalk, even dripping off the side of the bridge. After one last plunge with the knife, Mal pulled back, breathing heavily with a triumphant smile that warped her beautiful face into a mask of pure madness. She watched as Cobb struggled to stay in a kneeling position and then he just fell over in a lifeless heap.

"Cobb!" I cried, rushing over to his body. I desperately searched for a pulse. I pulled my hands back, which were covered in his sticky blood, and gently lifted his head into my lap. I brushed his blood clumped hair away from his lifeless, dead blue eyes and cried, "Cobb! No!"

Vaguely I heard Eames running up toward us, cursing under his breath. From the corner of my eye I saw him grab Mal and push her over the side of the bridge without a single sound coming from either one of them. Tears ran down my cheeks as I cradled Cobb's head, rocking back and forth in a calming, rhythmic motion. I heard Eames' lingering steps as he came up behind me and softly laid his hands on my shoulders and started to rub them gently and soothingly.

He leaned down and whispered carefully and calculating, "Ariadne, dear, we need to go. It's not real, he's not dead…please stop crying, love, it's just a dream. You'll get her later, I promise."

He gently started to tug at my shoulders, but I jerked away at his touch. He sighed and crouched down next to me, rubbing my back comfortingly. He glanced down at the projection of Cobb with a mix of sadness, pity, and respect.

"Ariadne…" he began to say, and then trailed off, looking up at the clouded sky.

"I know we have to go," I snapped, but I immediately regretted it, so I stammered, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, love," he replied quietly, accepting my apology.

He began to tug at my arms again and I reluctantly got up, gently setting down Cobb's head and closing his eyes. I took one last glance back at his fallen form before I quickly turned away, shuffling across the bridge back into dream Paris. Eames put his arm around my shoulder, partially blocking me from the strong wind, partially to comfort me as I sobbed, letting the tears fall freely. I didn't care if I cried in front of him, he knew what I was going through, he understood.

"Eames, what am I going to do? I _can't _get rid of her! She's just too strong!" I cried, shivering from both the cold and from my sobs.

"Ariadne, you are stronger than her, you just don't know how strong you really are. She's just messing with you; she knew that if she messed with Cobb, she would scare you. From what I've seen, you believe that since Cobb couldn't escape her, you can't either. _But that's not true. _It's not true…" Eames whispered fiercely, hugging me even closer to prove his point and to reassure me.

Somehow, I knew I was safe with him. His words reassured me. I felt more…confident, stronger even. The event with Cobb only made me more aware of the cards she was laying on the table. It made me more aware of the fight I was getting into. I knew I was ready to face her. I was ready to face Mal.

**My deepest apologies! I do hope you like this chapter, it took me awhile to write because I had a HUGE writers block and I've been caught up in a lot of school work. So here it is and more to come! Reviews are nice, even though I haven't been so consistent. But, if you write a review, it'll motivate me to write even faster! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, I don't own Inception or any of it's characters, Christopher Nolan does.**

Eames lead me away from the bridge, giving me time to recuperate from the recent event. We stopped at a park bench that stood under a sleek, black, Victorian street lamp and took a seat. It was growing dark and the lamp flickered on, producing an eerie yellow glow around us. It grew even colder as the sun began to set behind the horizon and before it set completely, we were lucky enough to see all the beautiful reds, oranges, pinks, and yellow blend together to make the most magnificent scene.

We sat there in silence for quite some time. When I began to shiver from the cold, Eames produced a heavy wool jacket and laid it gently over my shoulders. I mumbled a word of thanks before I turned to him and said even more forcefully, "Thank you so much."

"For what?" he asked, puzzled.

"For everything, for everything that you have done for me. You didn't have to do any of this, but you did, so thank you," I said, my cheeks flushing with a deep scarlet blush, but I hoped that he would deduce my reaction to the cold.

"You're most certainly welcome," he said, smiling, while he pulled me closer into a small hug.

I gave a long sigh and rested my head against his shoulder. Images of Mal and Cobb swirled through my head. I tried to block out the images, but they bombarded me, creating the most gruesome scenes. I massaged my temples as a migraine started to form. Then, I felt cold water on my face and at first I thought I was crying from the growing pain, but when I opened my eyes, I found it to be snowing heavily. I looked up toward Eames, who's hair was flecked with the fluffy flakes, and chuckled heartily.

"Ha-ha! You've got a little something in your hair, Eames," I said mischievously, my migraine already gone.

"Oh do I? Hmm I think you do, too," Eames whispered evilly, reaching down slowly.

"What? No I don't-" I began to say as Eames scooped up a large, heaping handful of snow and brought it down upon my head.

As Eames doubled over with uncontrollable laughter, I said smugly, "Hmm, I guess I do _now_," as I scooped up some snow and made it into a tightly compacted snowball. I quickly brushed the excess snow out of my hair and then took careful aim at Eames' head. When he finally calmed down and sat up, I chucked the snowball and hit him squarely in the forehead. When the snowball hit him, it snapped his head back, leaving a large red mark on his forehead. He rubbed it tenderly as he said, "Love, that _hurt_! I'm going to get you for that!"

"I'd like to see you try!" I challenged, scooping up even more snowballs.

When I had stood up fully, Eames suddenly chucked a large snowball at me. Before I could duck out of the way, the snowball hit me right in the jaw. Upon impact, I accidentally dropped all of my snowballs, and discovering myself defenseless and without any readied weapons available, I ran, laughing merrily all the way.

I didn't get far since Eames quickly sprinted up and tackled me to the ground. We couldn't breath we were laughing so hard! We rolled around on the ground like we were kids again, gleeful, worry-free!

"Snow angels!" Eames chuckled when we finally stood up.

While he examined our lopsided snow angels, I tried to calm my uncontrollable laughter. After awhile, my laughter turned into soft chuckles. Eames was still bent over laughing so I grabbed a handful of snow and stealthily walked up behind him and shoved the snow down the back of his shirt. Eames yelped and started to dance around, desperately trying to get the freezing cold snow out of his shirt.

When he finally shook the last of it out, he turned to me and asked angrily, "What did you do that for?"

"I needed you to calm down, and that was the fastest way I could think of," I replied coolly.

"You could've just asked me!"

"Knowing you, Eames, it wouldn't have been that easy," I said, smiling wickedly. Then I took to a more serious tone and whispered, "I have something to tell you, it's important."

With that statement, Eames stood up straighter, his eyes gleamed with questions, and his ears seemed to perk up, ready to listen.

I took a deep, comforting breath before I continued, "I'm ready. I'm ready to face her...to face _Mal_," I choked out her name. "I'll face her in the morning, I don't feel quite up to running blindly around in the dark looking for her," I finished, awaiting his response.

He seemed to ponder the information, his jaw working as he kept a stern face, but eventually, through clenched teeth, he stated coolly, "Alright, we'll find her in the morning."

He averted his gaze as he turned on his heel and marched back to the park bench. I stood there, perplexed and surprised at his odd response, for a few minutes before I ran to catch up. I caught his elbow and spun him around just as he got to the bench. He whipped his head towards me and glowered at me, his eyes smoldering and burning with anger. His heated gaze bore into me, causing me to wince at his anger.

"Eames, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" I asked, concerned I crossed some sort of invisible boundary.

His jaw started to work again, and I was afraid he would do something he might regret. Eames was nice enough, but he had military training, and I didn't know how well he could control his temper. Eames wasn't a person I would want to mess with. He took out a whole army of armed projections during Inception, there was no knowing what he could do to an unarmed girl.

_Oh God, what am I thinking? Eames would never hurt me!_ I mentally kicked myself for even thinking such terrible things about Eames. What he did during Inception was out of necessity, not for the fun of it. He was protecting Cobb and me.

"You did nothing _wrong,_ Ariadne. It's just...it's just that you were so happy for that short period of time and now you have to go back to being serious again. You never seem to loosen up, you're always uptight, much like our dear friend Arthur. But to see you so happy and worry-free for awhile made me feel...contented, happy for you. I wish you could stay like that," he finished, his gaze softening.

"Wishes don't always come true, Eames, and things don't last forever. We all can't act like kids all the time, we're adults dealing with some very serious business. We can have fun and goof off sometimes, but our job requires us to be serious. Think of all the things we had to give up just to do our jobs! Cobb couldn't see his own kids for who knows how long! When we're on a job, there's no room for messing around," I said to Eames, almost sounding like a parent scolding a child.

"I know. But we're not on a job now," he retorted back.

"Let me remind you Eames that you're inside _my _head, dealing with _my_ mind and _my_ memories. I want you to act like you would on a job, because technically, you _are_ on one," I replied hotly.

"Ariadne, I have taken more precautions with you than I have _ever _with any other job, even the Inception job. What I'm trying to say is that you don't face Mal until tomorrow morning, so why don't you have a good time tonight? No more worries, no more troubles, no more anything for the time being, okay?" he offered.

Now it was my turn to ponder my answer. I chewed my bottom lip carefully before I said, "Fine, but no more snowball fights!"

Eames gave a playful mock-pout before he cheered happily and swooped me up in a lung-crushing bear hug.

"Eames put me down I- I can't breath!" I chocked out pleadingly, though I laughed cheerfully.

He plopped me back down on the ground and ruffled my snow-covered hair playfully. But he still seemed hesitant of something, like he was holding something back.

"Eames?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes, darling?"

"I don't think you told me the whole truth. I think there's something else bothering you, but you don't have to tell me what it is if you don't want to. I understand."

He hesitated a few moments, but then he gave a weak smile and whispered, "Thanks love. I'm not quite ready to tell you, but I will. I promise."

He offered his pinky to me and we interlocked our pinky's together, making an unbreakable pinky promise. I chuckled at the childhood tradition, causing Eames to smile as well. We uncurled our pinkies and then started off, rolling around in the snow and having a blast. I was worry-free for the whole night. No thought of Mal or Cobb infiltrated my mind and for that time being, I was truly happy.

**I am so very, completely sorry for the long delay. I could list a million excuses, but they don't make up for the delay. This is just a filler chapter, but the real good stuff comes with the next couple of chapters. I hoped you liked this chapter, you could view it as something romantic, as something between good friends, or even a brother-sister interaction. **


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own Inception or any of its characters. Warning: Violence and little bit of cursing.  
**

The morning sunlight streamed in through the windows, awaking me. I rubbed my eyes gently, gave a large yawn, and tiredly sat up. Both Eames and I were both in a hotel room in a simple, but nice, hotel that Eames created after our shenanigans the night before. I looked with bleary eyes around the room and spotted Eames on the other bed, still fast asleep. Too lazy to actually get up and wake him, I chucked a large, fluffy white pillow at his head.

"No more snowball fights!" Eames whined in his sleep.

I chucked another pillow at him and chuckled sleepily, "It's not a snowball fight, it's time to get up."

He rolled over and gave me a death glare before he rolled back over mumbling something about it being too early for him to be bothered. I sighed heavily and got up to go to the bathroom. I came out with my hair wet and brushed, wearing jeans, black furry boots, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a red vest over the shirt. Eames was still not up so I took one side of the mattress and flipped it. Eames tumbled out of the bed and hit the floor with a _thunk!_

Impatient and annoyed, I said, "I'm tired of waiting Eames, either get up and get ready, or I head out on my own."

Eames immediately popped up and rushed to the bathroom yelling pleadingly, "Sorry! Sorry! Please don't leave without me!"

He came out minutes later dressed and ready to go. He wore jeans, a gray t-shirt, a black leather jacket over it, and some black army boots. His hair was still messy and he hadn't shaved, but he had a determined look on his face and nodded at me for us to go.

We set out, heading directly for the bridge where Mal was yesterday. There was still a sharp chill in the air. It stung my cheeks and nose and made my eyes water. I wished I had my winter coat with me. I could even hear Eames shivering behind me. Our breaths came out like white puffs of smoke. Unlike yesterday, there was no one around, no projections at all. Without anybody around, even projections, the city just felt empty. The people gave it its life, its spirit. Without the people, the city was lifeless, dead, just a shell. It felt like Eames, Mal, and I were the only people in the world. I mean, I liked to be alone sometimes, but being _this_ alone made me feel so small and worthless.

I snapped out of my revive when Eames put his hand on my back as we neared the bridge. He took my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze when I spotted Mal leaning casually against the bridge railing. Eames leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You can do this, love. I have faith in you. But, I won't intervene. This is your battle now. Good luck." He gave my hand one last squeeze before he let it fall to my side. He followed me to the bridge, but stopped a few feet behind me as I confidently approached Mal.

Mal was wearing a simple, flowy, V-neck black dress. It was floor-length and had long sleeves. As I approached her, she slowly turned with an evil smile gracing her already lovely features. In my mind, I was already thinking of ways to kill her. _Maybe a gun? No...that's too quick. She needs to suffer, her death needs to be long and painful. Maybe I should just beat the crap out of her, beat her to death...Yes, that would work._ As I finally came upon her, I already had my fists clenched, ready to fight.

"Oh, come back to learn your lesson? Ha-ha, I promise, I'll make it the most painful thing you have ever felt in your life. Your friend Eames over there won't be able to recognize you. Maybe next time you learn not to mess with my life, with my husband. But there will _not _be a next time, I can assure you of that, dear," threatened Mal, she was obviously more mad than the last time I saw her. Even though she was extremely beautiful, something seemed off about her. Her hair wasn't as perfect as it usually is, it was slightly ruffled. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had very noticeable bags under her eyes. She had more lines on her face and she seemed very anxious, her hands would occasionally twitch and shake uncontrollably. Before, she could easily hide her madness under her beauty, but now, it shown through as bright as day. She looked the way she was: an insane woman.

"You done?" I asked sarcastically, hoping to anger Mal. It worked because her face twitched twice in anger.

She didn't reply, so I continued on, "Good, 'cause I'm tired of hearing your God damn lectures, Mal. Stop playing the angry wife act, 'cause we all have had enough of it. It's _your_ fault you killed yourself. _Your _fault Cobb betrayed you because you couldn't determine a dream from reality because _you _locked away your totem. So, all in all, it's _your_ fault for most of Cobb's problems and now it's _your _fault we are here now, because you couldn't leave me alone."

Mal was stunned, but then she grew furious. She screamed at me, "You will pay for this!"

The wind picked up, roaring in my ears. I screamed back, "You always say that Mal! You might want to say things that you'll actually carry out!"

Mal, in a fit of rage, drew out a long knife and charged at me, knife raised high and aimed at my chest. I responded quickly, rolling out of the way as she missed and stumbled slightly. I charged at her and lunged for the knife. I clasped onto her wrist tightly as we wrestled for the knife. She bucked back, attempting to throw me off, but I pushed against her momentum and she let go of the knife, letting it fly over the side of the bridge. With Mal weaponless, I threw my first punch at her, relishing the feeling as I released all my anger out on her. I kept punching at her, causing her nose to bleed profusely, it was probably broken. Mal blocked my left hook at her head and shoved me to the ground.

I cracked my head against the pavement, sparks and fireworks exploded before my eyes. Mal clumsily straddled me and began to punch me. I raised my arms in an attempt to shield my head, but it was of no use. Each punch stung and I could feel the imprints of her wedding and engagement ring forming on my face. I could feel my right eye start to swell so I finally threw a quick punch at her jaw, causing her head to snap back, and she rolled off of me in pain. I spat some blood out of my mouth from where I bit my tongue when I fell, and then descended on Mal, who was still rolling on the ground in pain. I kicked her in the stomach a few times and then started to kick her in the face. Every time I kicked her I screamed out in rage, "HOW. DOES. IT. FEEL?"

Mal didn't move and I assumed that she was dead or unconscious, but then she suddenly kicked my legs out from under me. When I landed, all my breath got knocked out of me. Taking advantage of my loss of breath, Mal kicked me in the face, and I could feel my nose break. Sticky blood poured into my mouth, not helping with my breathlessness. I spat the blood out at her and reached out for her head, grabbing her by her hair and smashing her skull against the pavement. I kept smashing her head against the pavement until she suddenly kicked me in the gut and I doubled over in pain. She pounced at me and clasped her hands around my neck. She squeezed, her nails digging into my skin, slowly cutting off my air supply.

I desperately tried to claw her off of me, but to no avail. I faintly heard Eames in the back calling out, "Ariadne!"

I could feel my chest grow heavy with the lack of air and my lungs screamed for oxygen, but I was in a very bad situation. In a last attempt to get Mal off of me, I whispered, "Cobb never loved you, he was just your puppet. That's how you work, Mal. You like to have control over people. You like to think he loved you, but deep down, he never did, no one ever loved you, not even Miles. Not even your own children. They were sickened by you, by what you have become."

The pressure around my neck suddenly went away. Mal just sat there in a daze next to me. I stood up and towered over her. I wiped away the blood on my face before I said angrily, "Your sick game is over, Mal. I'm tired of playing."

Mal still just sat there in a sad daze. She stared up at me pathetically, and then I realized that I was done with her, done looking at her, done being around her, done thinking of her, done of her having control over me. I knew I had to end this now. I clamped my hand on her forearm and dragged her over to the side of the bridge. Mal didn't even protest, she just allowed herself to be dragged around like a puppet or a rag doll. She knew it was over, she knew that she had lost, and she didn't have enough hope to even fight.

I pressed her up against the side of the bridge and I wrapped my hands around her neck. Again, she didn't protest. For some reason, I was enraged at her unresponsiveness. I slapped her hard across the face, causing an angry red hand print to form over her blue and black bruises. She whipped her head back with fire burning in her eyes.

"You do not control me anymore, Mal," I whispered as I slowly strangled her, cutting off her air supply.

Her eyes grew wider with ever passing moment, her face grew pale, her lips turned purple, and then finally, her head fell forward and the life went out of her eyes. Her whole body went limp and she slumped heavily against me. I harshly pushed her over the side of the bridge in disgust. I heard a large splash and saw her form float down the river, never to be seen again.

I sighed heavily in relief as I slid down the side of the bridge and slumped against it for support. I closed my eyes tight, both from tiredness and from the pain. A sharp pain shot up the back of my head whenever I moved, so I sat there, limp and still. I heard Eames running towards me. He sounded so far off, so distant. My head felt so clouded, my vision was blurry, and it wasn't until Eames gently touched me on the shoulder did I realize that he had finally arrived. I just sat there as he wiped away blood from my face and stayed limp as he carefully picked me up and carried me off. To where, I didn't know, all I felt and could think about was the pain and sleep. My eyelids grew heavy and they slowly started to close, but Eames kept me urged me to stay awake.

"Ariadne, please, stay awake, stay with me! Do _not_ fall asleep! You can't fall asleep quite yet, love," he warned, but he said it very gently and soothingly.

Eames carried all the way back to the hotel and laid me gently on the bed. He rushed into the bathroom and grabbed a medical kit. He started to clean my wounds. He wiped the blood off of my face, stopped the flow of blood coming from my nose, bandaged all of my cuts and scrapes, and put ice on my eye. I couldn't even think clearly. The events that happened today would hit me hard later, but for the time being, I couldn't think about anything. Eventually I fell asleep from the pain and exhaustion, but he stayed by my side, holding my hand as I slept. Even though I fell asleep in pain, I knew I would wake up a whole new me.

**AN: I am so so so so so completely sorry for not updating for such a long time! You all must hate me :( But, I hope this makes up for it! Just for your information, I spent until 1 in the morning writing and editing this, so I think I have suffered enough. There will be a few more chapters to come, but this story is reaching its end as most do. Thanks for reading this even though it took so long to put out. Reviews would be lovely.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inception or any of its characters, Christopher Nolan in all of his brilliance does.**

I drifted in and out of consciousness constantly. Every time I did, I would see Eames by my bed, either reading or sleeping. He never saw me awake because I usually fell back into unconsciousness almost immediately after I cracked my eyes open. The pain lessened every time I awoke, I don't know if it was from any drugs Eames might have given me, or just my body healing itself.

In between my awakenings came odd dreams. I would see flashes of Cobb playing and laughing with his children, images of Arthur working dutifully, some of Yusuf standing at his workstation with beakers and test tubes scattered about, emitting smoke and steam, and occasionally he would cause a miniature explosion that came with a small, but loud _pop!_ Yusuf would chuckle, tweak whatever beaker and/or test tube exploded, and continued with his experimentation. Sometimes I would see images of Eames, sitting casually at his workstation, leaning back in his chair with a folder propped up against his knee as he read the folder. He would occasionally look up and wink at someone. He wore his signature crooked smile with glee and mischief shining in his blue eyes. He reminded me so much of James Bond, so smooth and suave, but he was also a prankster, which made him even more interesting.

More images of Cobb appeared, but when I usually had dreams about him, he always looked beaten and broken. The images I saw now were of him smiling, happy, like he had had a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders. He carried himself a little taller, and for the first time, even since I saw him in reality, his smile reached his baby blue eyes. He no longer felt guilty or responsible for what happened to Mal, and I found myself feeling happy for him. Images of Mal also crept into my dreams, but they were not scary images. It was just her, sitting calmly on a large rock by the ocean, her toes just brushed the gently lapping waves. She wore a simple blue sundress, nothing extravagant that she usually wore. Mal turned her head, smiled at me- not an evil smile, a genuine, true smile. Her mouth formed words, but I could not hear what she was saying. For some reason I knew she was saying goodbye, maybe even saying that she was sorry. She gave me one last smile, then she just blew away, starting from the top of her head down to her feet. It looked like sand blowing off the top of a sand dune. One second she was there, then she was gone, blown into the ocean. What could this represent? My peace of mind?

I didn't dream anymore, for then I awoke- this time for good. Eames wasn't reading or sleeping, he was just sitting there, hands clasped tightly in front of him. His look was grim, his eyes downcast. Surprisingly, he wore a blue, light-weight work shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Wasn't it snowing before I encountered Mal? He must be freezing! I gave a small cough which snapped him out of his revive. His smiled brightly and asked cheerfully, "How ya doing, love?"

I gave a soft chuckle and said, "Better. How long have I been out?"

"A couple days," he stated calmly.

"A couple of days?" I shrieked, sitting up frantically.

"Yeah, you took quite a beating, love. Plus, in the dream world, you heal faster. Have you even looked at yourself? All of your bruises are gone and your nose is not broken anymore. No thanks to my impeccable healing skills, of course." He winked, handing me a hand-held mirror.

He was right, all of my bruises were gone and my nose wasn't broken anymore. I let my fingers gently brush over my face, testing for a break and for pain. All of the pain was gone. I gave a big sigh of relief before I turned to Eames and thanked him greatly.

"Oh, don't flatter me darling, it was the least I could do," he said playfully. He paused for a second, looking me over, then said, "Come on, get up, get dressed. You need to stretch your muscles. We're taking a stroll."

"A stroll?" I asked disbelievingly with one of my eyebrows cocked. "But was snowing a few days ago! It must be freezing!"

"It isn't anymore, now go get dressed! There's a dress for you in the closet," sighed Eames, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and he couldn't belief I didn't know about it.

I sighed, defeated, and carefully got up, testing my strength. Once I felt that I was okay to walk, I turned toward the closet. Inside was a beautiful, red, halter sundress. The fabric was soft to the touch and smooth. It was simple looking, it had a fitted waste, loose at the hips, and fell to my knees. I went in the bathroom to change and fix the mess that was my hair. When my hair was finally smoothed out and sleek, I deemed myself presentable and exited the bathroom. _Why am I getting so worried about my appearance? Eames has probably seen me look a lot worse..._

Eames was waiting for me patiently. He wore his blue work shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows, a pair of jeans, and, surprisingly, black Adidas shoes. "Where are we going?" I asked as I slipped on white gladiator sandals.

"Oh just to a special place I found," he answered vaguely, giving me a wink when I gave him a "That's not helpful" look. He just chuckled and gestured for me to come with him. I followed, though somewhat reluctantly. When we stepped outside, I was surprised to find that it was spring in Paris, perfect spring weather. The air didn't have that city smell, it was fresh, like if we were in a field of flowers. The sun was shining high up in a cloudless blue sky, and it looked like it was mid-afternoon.

"We have a couple hours until the dream ends. It should end at sunset, I think, or maybe just after," Eames said.

"Oh," I sighed, looking around for any projections, but there were none. I then asked, "How come there are no projections? Isn't your subconscious supposed to fill this place?"

"It depends, really. My subconscious _could_ fill it, but then again, so could yours. Depending on the dream, you may not want anyone around, so your projections won't appear. Since this is technically your dream, you seemed to want to face Mal alone, without any distractions. It's probably the same with my subconscious too, I wanted you to face her alone. That's why there aren't any projections around," he explained smoothly.

"But why were they here sometimes and then not?" I asked.

"I guess you wanted to feel comfortable, feel like you were actually in Paris, darling. Like I said, it depends on the dream and what the dreamer wants."

"Oh," I said in understanding. We continued to walk through Paris, but soon the buildings grew farther and farther apart until we were almost in the middle of nowhere, on an unpaved road. I shot Eames a questioning look and he just came to me and held out a red bandana. I took it cautiously and asked, "What's this for?"

"Put it over your eyes, I'm taking you to the special place," he stated simply. "Here, let me help you, love," he insisted after seeing me fumble with tying a knot, which ended up with my hair all tangled in the knot. He came up behind me and took the bandana away from me. His fingers brushed lightly across my cheeks as he moved my hair away, and I froze at his touch. He covered my eyes with the bandana, secured the bandana with a simple knot, and even waved his hand in front of my face to make sure I couldn't see. When he was satisfied I could not see anything, he took my hand and lead me off the unpaved road into what felt like a field. We walked for about half an hour with the tall grass tickling my legs until Eames came to a stop.

"We're here, love. Take a look!"

I untied the bandana and let it fall to the ground as I gazed in amazement at my surroundings. We were in a large open field with golden grass surrounding us. Off to our right was a cliff that fell down to a glistening lake that fed into a river. Near the cliff was a single weeping willow tree that had the most gorgeous purple flowers hanging on its branches. It was odd to see on a weeping willow, but it was most definitely appreciated. The sun was warm on my cheeks and the sky was a perfect blue. Perfect white fluffy clouds rolled lazily across the sky. Everything was just so _beautiful _and _serene. _I was so giddy with joy that I twirled and spun like a child through the grass. Eames laughed merrily at the sight of me and when I spun close enough, he grabbed my hands and spun around with me. When we became too dizzy, we fell in a heap onto each other, laughing and giggling all the way.

"Thanks for bringing me here, its really beautiful," I said sincerely as we walked toward the weeping willow.

"Oh, it was no problem love. If anything, I should be thanking you, you made this dream," he said, giving me a side hug.

Eames conjured a blanket as we reached the base of the tree and laid it out on the soft grass. Once we got ourselves comfortable with us sitting next to each other up against the tree, Eames turned to me and said, "Since we have awhile until the sedative runs out, why don't we chat?" I nodded my head in response with a smile and he continued, "Alright then, what would you like to talk about?"

I pondered for a moment until I asked curiously, "Why don't we talk about how you forge into other people? I've always wondered how you did it..."

He gave me a wink, leaned in close, and whispered in my ear, "I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret. No telling anyone, not even Arthur."

He said it playfully but their was also a slight seriousness to his voice as well. I nodded with a mischievous smile on my face. I placed my hands over my heart and whispered, "Cross my heart and hope to die!"

He leaned back with an equally mischievous smile and a content expression on his face. Eames just stared at me for awhile before he took a deep breath and started to explain, "When you forge, you are basically becoming another person. You have to know every in and out about them. How they pronounce words, their body posture, how they act under certain circumstances, any quirks they have. You have to know everything about the person. Sometimes you get to a point where you truly believe that you are that person.

"When your actual form starts to transform into them, it's like you have to shed your own skin and take on theirs. It's almost like putting on a costume and makeup. A forger is kind of like a costume, make up, and art designer. And an actor, of course."

"Is that why you always use a mirror when you forge? So you know everything is perfect?" I asked thoughtfully.

Eames paused for a second and then said, "Yes, but it is a little more complicated than that. Do you ever notice that when I forge, there is the reflection of the mark in the mirror, but there is also a reflection of me in the mirror as well?"

I pondered this for awhile, thinking back to the Inception job when Eames had to turn into Browning. I vaguely remember also seeing Eames in the reflection, so I nodded in response.

"That means that I am still in touch with myself. You see, if it is only the mark's reflection, then I have lost myself in becoming that person. I actually am that person, there is no me in the mark, I have actually become the person I was trying to forge. Does that make sense?"

"Yes...I think so. So what you're saying is that you don't know the distinction between yourself and the mark? You wholeheartedly believe that you are that person?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Has this ever happened to you before?" I asked tentatively but curiously.

Eames let out a long sigh before he whispered, "Once."

"Who did you forge into? How did you realize you lost yourself?"

"I forged into the man I looked up to my entire life, I forged into my father. He had died a few years before I had to perform a job on one of his close friends. I had to forge into my father to get a code out of the man so my clients could open some account and drain it. The man was dying and refused to tell anyone the code except for his long-time friend, my father. I had missed my father so much and I had always wished I could be more like him that I...I just became him in the dream."

"How did you get out?"

"Arthur was also on the job. He saved me. He told me that my father was dead and explained everything until I had no choice but to believe him."

No words needed to be said, I took Eames' hand in mine and squeezed it reassuringly and laid my head against his shoulder. The silence continued for awhile and Eames seemed content with us just being the way we were, but a thought kept nudging and annoying me until I had to say something.

I cleared my throat nervously before I asked, "Eames...remember when we were back at my apartment and I asked you about you're military service...would you mind telling me about it?"

There was a long pause and Eames squeezed my hand a little harder than necessary.

"You don't have to if it bothers you..."

"No, no, it's alright, you deserve to know," He said very clipped. He took a deep, relaxing breathe before he continued, "I served in the British military for a majority of my early adult life. They taught us the basic self defense and weapons training, but as my career grew, I found myself working as a military trainer. I didn't just train people on how to use a gun properly or how to survive in different climates, I was supposed to train their minds to defend against psychological attacks. I would go into people's minds and show them unspeakable horrors and then teach them how to block it out and how to distinguish reality from dreams. These type of exercises were only meant for the strong of heart and people were carefully selected for this kind of training. This, however, didn't always prevent accidents. Even some of the strongest of soldiers could not withstand the mental attacks. A few of the soldiers had gone crazy under my command, and I've never been able to forgive myself for it. I was in charge of those soldiers and yet I couldn't protect them. I let them and myself down."

Eames buried his face in his hands, trying to rub away his grief. With the hand that was not in his, I rubbed his arm consolingly. "Eames, you can't always prevent the worst from happening, but I know you protected those soldiers to the best of your ability. That's what matters the most, at least it does to me," I said, taking Eames' hands away from his face and forcing him to look at me. His eyes held pent up grief and guilt, but now there was a hint of acceptance. He knew he did his best for those soldiers. He gave me a weak but grateful smile and gathered me up into a hug.

"Eames?" I asked after we broke away from the hug.

"Yes, darling?" he responded, quirking his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Did you chose to help me to prove to yourself that you could save at least one person from their own mind?"

A lengthy silence followed. Eames stared out over the field where the grass slowly swayed with the wind. I was about to say that he should forget I said anything when he sighed, "In all honesty, yes Ariadne, I did do this to prove to myself that I could save someone, but I also did it because I care about you and your safety. You mean a lot to everybody, especially to Cobb. He never would have wanted you to become what he turned into when Mal died. Oh, please don't tell Arthur this, but he wouldn't have the guts to take on a job _this_ hard." Eames chuckled at that statement.

"What in particular made it hard?" I gasped, slightly offended.

"Come on, an emotionally unstable woman not in her right state of mind? That's like the apocalypse!" Eames said jokingly.

I slapped him on the arm as we laughed hysterically. "You're terrible! I would do the exact same thing for you!" I laughed, doubling over myself and clutching my sore stomach.

"I know you would, love," he chuckled sincerely as he began to tickle my ribs. I yelped at the tickling and tried to squirm away to no avail.

Once our shenanigans settled down, I laid back against Eames chest as we watched the sun slowly set against the sky. His steady breathing almost lulled me into sleep before I remembered to ask him, "One more thing Eames, remember when we had the snowball fight and then all of a sudden you got angry? What was that all about?"

He stroked my hair out of my face thoughtfully before he said, "I was mad because you were having fun for once and then decided to get immediately back to business..."

"Yes, I know, you already told me that, but there was something more," I said as I sat up and looked him straight in the eye.

He held my gaze for some time with a challenge in his blue eyes and sighed in defeat, "I just realized how much you have changed because of this experience. When you finally decided that you were going to fight Mal, I sensed a change in you. You're never going to be the same Ariadne I first met."

"Of course I was going to change Eames, you've changed too. You were never as careful, precise, or caring with other jobs before this one. I've become stronger, and you've grown as a person too."

"You've grown from a curious girl into a strong woman, and you've always been strong, this experience has made you even stronger than before. You're still the same Ariadne, you've just been upgraded," he smiled slightly at that and mussed my hair playfully.

We looked back over the gently swaying fields at the sunset. The sky was streaked with vibrant oranges, deep reds, soft yellows, light purples, and dimming blues. It was almost time to wake up. A small part of me never wanted this dream to end, it was too perfect. I really couldn't imagine being in this moment with anyone else besides Eames. I didn't quite understand our relationship, but what I did know was that it grew and became stronger. I wished that even after the dream ends that our odd but special relationship would continue.

Eames nudged me in the side and we gave each other knowing looks. It was time to go. He pulled me up and led me to the edge of the cliff. I looked down and saw the blue, glistening lake below. I wasn't scared, I knew that we were going to jump. We still held each others hand and waited for the sun to meet with the horizon. Just before it did, Eames turned to me, kissed my hand, and sent me one of his signature winks and smirks. I chuckled at the gesture and gave him a mock curtsy.

"You ready, love?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"More than ready," I said confidently, sending a smile his way.

"Alright then, in five..."

"Four..."

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One!" we both said in unison as we jumped over the edge of the cliff and plunged toward the lake, hands still grasped tightly together. We laughed in glee as we fell. The lake was coming up quickly, so quickly, and then there was nothing but black.

**A/N: I am super sorry I went on an unannounced hiatus. I thought that I had posted the last of the chapters, but when I checked again, I realized that I didn't and that I left you guys hanging. I am really, truly sorry for that. I'm going to say that the next chapter will probably be the last one of this story. I am really disappointed in this chapter, it turned out really fluffy, but it wasn't meant to be that fluffy. I view it more as a friendship/brother-sister interaction than a romantic one. Like how Ariadne is trying to figure out their relationship, I am too. Even though I've been a terrible person, I would like you guys to review and give me feedback on what you think. It really means a lot to me! Sorry for any errors, I usually only go over it once to check for mistakes. **


End file.
